Microorganisms as scaffolds of host individuality: an eco-immunity account of the holobiont

摘要: There is currently a great debate about whether the holobiont, i.e. multicellular host and its residential microorganisms, constitutes biological individual. We propose that resident microorganisms have general important role in individuality of organism, not holobiont. Drawing upon Equilibrium Model Immunity (Eberl Nat Rev Immunol 16:524–532, 2016), we argue are scaffolds immune capacities processes determine constituency persistence organism. A scaffolding perspective accommodates contingency heterogeneity while accounting for their necessity unifying contributions to individuality. In our symbiotic view life, holobionts may be organisms or units selection, but macroorganisms cannot persist nor function as individuals without microorganisms.